More than 500 vehicles, mostly heavy goods vehicles, have been stuck for at least two months between Gina and Pimbo, two localities in the territory of Djugu on national road 27 in Ituri Province, DRC.
According to reports, these vehicles cannot move forward following the advanced disrepair of this road caused by the heavy rains which regularly fall in this region at this time of the year.
Among these blocked vehicles, there are heavy goods vehicles transporting basic necessities, trucks with fuel tanks, public transport cars and those of private individuals.
Further reports indicated that, even motorbikes are facing difficulty getting around.
“The road is really dilapidated. I’ve been here for four days, without moving. No way to move forward, I come from Sobe, no way to sneak between these hundreds of vehicles on a motorbike. The authorities must do their best to intervene to save this situation. Otherwise, it’s catastrophic!” one motobiker told Okapi news radio.
Users of this road are therefore wondering where the road toll money collected regularly goes and where is used for.
Abubakar Haruni, a tanker driver is also reported to saying “ This September 30, I will total a month nailed to this place. I have not yet arrived even at the Congolese-Ugandan border. The others have spent two months here, they come from Kisangani. Even in Pimbo, very close to this place, we haven’t arrived yet. We do not understand if the authorities want to make the population suffer to this extent. They have raised enough money which unfortunately is wasted without putting it into road maintenance. We don’t know who bewitched us.”
Furthermore, several observers indicate that most of the roads in this province are in an advanced state of disrepair, since the General Directorate of Revenue of the Province of Ituri (DGRPI) took over the maintenance management of these roads which formerly were managed by the National Road Maintenance Fund (FONER).
